<p>When I was a young, new parent, I worried about getting my perfect precious first born vaccinated. So I called my youngest sibling, who is a doctor, to ask his opinion. He said, as only a brother can say, that I would be a complete idiot if i failed to have my child vaccinated. i know some people have major concerns about vaccines, but it seems the risk of complications from the vaccine are minuscule when compared to the risks associated with the actual disease.</p>
<p>Thanks, JRZMom. I will look into that for my kiddos.</p>
<p>I can also tell you as one of the ancients (b 1952) that the only vaccines available to me as a child were for polio, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough) and tetanus. I & my sibs & everyone else in the neighborhood got full blown measles, mumps, chicken pox, & many had rubella (“German"measles”) though I missed that one (got vaccinated for it before wedding per RI law). </p>
<p>They are miserable diseases to have. And the thing our mothers and grandmothers prayed about was not the measles or mumps virus, but the “secondary infections” that sometimes followed. Those were the things that actually took children or debilitated them. </p>
<p>If you “only” have measles or mumps, you have a high fever for days, you are weak, feel sick, throw up, mumps is very painful in the throat and glands. Light hurts your eyes and you have a splitting headache. You can’t read in bed or enjoy watching TV (which in those days was downstairs) and you certainly don;t play with your toys. You just lie in bed feeling sick sick sick. </p>
<p>You folks already know that chicken pox is incredibly itchy & if you get the pox under your eyelids or on your genitals it really hurts. And the pox like to erupt in these places. You are perfectly miserable for two solid weeks at minimum. The older the child, the worse the case of chicken pox. </p>
<p>Our parents expected for us to have to live through this 3 or 4 times, and for every one of their kids. Actually they <em>hoped</em> we would live through them all. When the vaccines became available for these viruses, anyone who had lived through this experience ran to get their kids the shots. </p>
<p>I suspect there was far more damage done by secndary infections than the supposed risk of autism from vaccines—which is proven to have been a fraud anyway.</p>
<p>EK - Maybe she could go to one of the better Urgent Care clinics and get the vaccine. My younger daughter has a list of doctors in her area that are in our plan - we’re ~70 miles apart - that she can use if she doesn’t want to wait til she gets home or use the health center.</p>
<p>Measles outbreaks reported in Canada. This is not a benign disease.</p>
<p>Pertussis rates on the West Coast are really high. Babies die from whooping cough, and it’s not fun for anyone else to get.</p>
<p>In case you’re wondering, the pertussis vaccine is now included in a tetanus shot. You get a tetanus shot, you’re getting a pertussis vaccine too. </p>
<p>I’m not sure how diligent most colleges are about making sure that they’re incoming students are vaccinated, but I remember them being strictest about meningitis and tetanus. Meningitis was called “brain fever” and I lost an ancestor who would have been my great aunt to it in the early 1900’s. She would have lived in the lower East Side. Meningitis loves when people live close together, many diseases do!</p>
<p>Our naturopath is very good, ive used her since before my youngest was born and she has a good relationship with specialists and has referred me several times when needed.
Its easier to get her to refer out, then my family practice dr who is instructed to keep things in house, so it is difficult to get a neuro or other outside Dr for my issues. ( for example, the fact that both D & I have osteoporosis, despite no risk factors does not warrant further study)
Theoretically, my insurance says that I dont need a referral, but logistically, specialists will not book an appt. without a referral.</p>
<p>Since the ins no longer covers ND., that also means that I cant use her referrals to get an outside appt. I have to bring the lab results to the family practice doc & try and convince her that I need one.</p>
<p>Ive had HPV ( the virus not the vaccine). Never had an abnormal pap.
Interestingly, now they are saying one dose looks to confer same protection as two doses. Also that the strain African American women contract is not targeted by the vaccine.
[HPV</a> Strains Affecting African-American Women Differ from Vaccines - DukeHealth.org](<a href=“Home | Duke Health”>Home | Duke Health)</p>
<p>LOL! “It’s easier to get her to refer out” just means “at least she knows when she’s in over her head, which will be frequently.” </p>
<p>Why do you think health insurance doesn’t always cover naturopaths?</p>
<p>They don’t have lobbyists like chiropractors? ( which Medicare covers)
Actually other workers at the same company have naturopathic care covered.
H’s union has a different contract.</p>
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<p>Not always. For adults, there is a Td (tetanus and diptheria) vaccine and a Tdap (tetanus, diptheria, and acellular pertussis) vaccine.</p>
<p>My doctor’s office has run out of the Tdap vaccine due to the number of people who are now getting it. My grandson’s pediatrician asked that anybody in close contact with the baby get it, so I guess I better find someplace that still has it.</p>
<p>I need a methadone thread for facebook. A woman I work with started a thread on her wall about vaccines and how she doesn’t believe in them, all propaganda, etc. Then all of her like minded friends agreed and one even came right out and said that she counts on everyone else getting shots to protect her and her family!!!</p>
<p>Ugh! I managed to express my opinion (while gritting my teeth) in a way that will allow me to still go to work with her but… JEEZ!!! I was holding back big time.</p>
<p>Glad I can come here!!!</p>
<p>Wow, EPTR! Wonder if she counts on everyone else stopping at 4-way stops so she doesn’t have to.</p>
<p>^^^ That’s great. </p>
<p>Sometimes I wonder what makes people so crazy. Why don’t they see what we all obviously do?</p>
<p>“We, as a culture, do NOT respect people’s right to do what they think is best for their own families if it puts innocent people in danger”
-We are driving. Driving kills many many more very innocent people than other activity / aspect of our lives. We let people to eat themselves to the point that resources dedicated to the deseases caused by obesity drain the total amount that is available for entire health care. This one is huge as most resources dedicated to preventable deseases. It also puts lots and lots at great danger of not receiving proper care because of lack of resources (including amount of research, number of docs and other resources)
This list can go on and on and on.
I am not advocating one way or another at all. I am simply saying that statement “We, as a culture, do NOT respect people’s right to do what they think is best for their own families if it puts innocent people in danger” is absolutely NOT correct.</p>
<p>Yes, Miami, we can drive. We can also fly and go outside as possible germ incubators. However, we also try to make driving as safe as possible and you face stiff penalties if caught knowingly putting someone in danger through drunk or reckless driving. </p>
<p>Of course we’re always going to face risks, but we do not accept greater risks than mostly necessary.</p>
<p>^As I said, I am an advocate of nay practices. However, your statement is incorrect. And both driving (regular driving in normal conditions, no drunk or reckless) and overeating are much much (many folds) are more dangerous than not vaccinating. Why we are not up to banning these practices? Maybe because it is not possible?
Now, take a case of non-vaccinated kid. Kid presents a danger only to another non-vaccinated kid, whose family has chosen to take a risk. Again, I am not advocating their decision. It might be wrong in amny people’s eyes, but I am not judging it and I am not applauding it, completely neutral. However, based on the fact that non-vaccinated kid will present danger only to the group that decided to be open to the risk of this danger and very small in comparison to many others involved in many behaviours that are very dangerous to much greater number of people, I question the reasons why we are engaged in this condemnation. The negative reaction is coming from the group that are not in any danger since they have decided to vaccinate their kids. I just do not understand the reason for all this negativity towards a very small group that is not affecting us anyhow (as I said because we have vaccinated our kids)</p>
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<p>PATENTLY FALSE. That kid presents a danger to kids/adults who are UNABLE to be vaccinated against a given disease, or those who are vaccinated but have not obtained immunity for various reasons. In the case of pertussis in particular, they present a danger to infants who are not yet able to be vaccinated.</p>
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Naturopaths are a mixed bag. Regulation varies from state to state, licensing varies, and what they do (and claim to do) varies a lot. They do have schools (as do chiropractors and other alternative practitioners). However, their training is not as extensive as allopathic (regular) doctors, and almost all use treatment methodologies that are, to be blunt, fraudulent, such as homeopathy. They have, in the past, been strongly anti-vaccine, but this has apparently changed more recently.</p>
<p>Agree with post 418–the big issue is the risk to those who CAN’T get vaccinated, like the very feeble, young and old, immuno-compromised people who will have very dire problems if they do get infected but can’t be vaccinated. My kids can’t be vaccinated with the flu shot because it causes them to get VERY ill, even if the doses are split so less vaccine is given for each dose. They have to hope that others don’t get them ill but if they have the vaccine, they are guaranteed to get every ill with each dose.</p>
<p>Vaccines against major conditions are very important to protect those who can’t get vaccinated, like transplant patients, those undergoing cancer treatments, the very young, etc.</p>